It’s not a typical profession to hear if someone were to say they were a mosaicist. For Hungarian stained glass artist, however, he was at the top of his field when it came to creating beautiful pieces of art with stained glass. The way Miksa Roth saw his designs in his head and was able to lay them out into perfect pieces brought him worldwide attention.

Miksa Roth’s pieces can predominately be found throughout Budapest, but he was commissioned to do larger, grander pieces for city offices and theaters, such as the National Theatre of Mexico. Roth started his business in 1885, and was soon taking commissions even outside of the country, which led him on several journeys across the globe.

What is a mosaicist?

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A mosaicist is someone who works with mosaics, or, more specifically, someone who has mastered the art of creating and working with glass pieces – which includes etching and placing. Mosaicists can work in all kinds of capacities, including being commissioned for larger pieces for building walls or smaller jobs such as an at-home mosaics that works with furniture or tabletops.

Although there are plenty of artists in the world that work with glass, including glass blowing and design, mosaicists must be extra delicate due to the fragile state that the glass is already in. No one would really imagine how difficult it could be to cut glass, it sounds nearly impossible. But for a mosaicist, the project has just began within that delicate process. Whether they are working with large cuts of glass, or smaller, more delicate blocks of color, a mosaicist must be quick thinking and incredibly skilled in order to create the beautiful art works that they can create.

Early Life

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Miksa Roth was born in 1865 and learned the impressive glass working skills from his father as a young boy. Often working as an apprentice, he quickly picked up all the tricks to the art and eventually was able to open his own studio and business. As mentioned earlier, he was able to be commissioned for art projects across the world, often taking months at a time to finish all his masterpieces.

It is not clear if Miksa Roth’s father was as famous as he was, but it turns out that Miksa Roth’s grandfather was highly skilled in the art of mosaics, as well. It can only be surmised that his father did not achieve the notoriety that Miksa Roth did. What is invaluable, however, is the fact that Miksa Roth picked up this skill and traits from his father, so in a sense, it very well could have been a family business that turned into a family legacy. The artists of high regard, however, was Miksa Roth on his own. His pieces also always have his name as a sole artist. It is truly interesting, however, that both his grandfather and his father worked in this more difficult trade, as it was not a common trade to go into within these times.

Perfection of Art

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There was a reason why Miksa Roth rose so high in the world of artistry. Many royal and governmental families and organizations coveted him in his work and waited sometimes long periods of time just to be able to commission Miksa Roth. It was a legacy that would live on far, far past Miksa Roth’s lifetime, as you can still read about his famous pieces and visit special locations just to see a bit of the work that Miksa Roth accomplished.

From pre-Raphaelite design works to basic architect design, Miksa Roth was able to pull of many different kinds of styles with his mosaic art work, which is probably another reason why he was so sought after. Those who were prominent within the art world and field, however, could tell a Miksa Roth pieces form a mile away. His careful attention to detail and gorgeous, sprawling designs made him recognizable to those who were the best craftsman’s in that world. Because of this undeniable talent Miksa Roth was often commissioned by royalty and worked as both an imperial artist and worked for the royal court.

Accolades

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Because of Miksa Roth’s talent, he won several awards and was recognized on a royal capacity for the various works he installed. He was considered a pioneer in the work of mosaics and was recognized worldwide for his talent. Miksa Roth was so good, in fact, that he even won a world exhibition contest during the 20th century. His talent never went unrecognized, but it was also said that Miksa Roth was a humble artists who didn’t seek the lime light or attention – it simply found him due to his extreme talent.

Miksa Roth was commissioned to work across the globe due to his unsurpassed talent, and was even responsible for helping create the new, romantically charged art movement throughout Europe. He was considered a true artist because he took the teachings of his father’s ways and made them entirely his own. His type became recognizable and he was in high demand throughout his life.

Style

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Although Miksa Roth was undeniably talented, it was his sense of style that really garnered him all the attention and praise. He was able to cut glass so delicately and place them in ways that were both aesthetically pleasing and gorgeous. His large pieces would also include window treatments, as well as large wall exhibits and personal, home works. His works were known to be colorful and capture the essence of nature. His works often depicted flowers and creeping vines, which needed to be carefully planned out and cut since these works were especially difficult to create.

It was said that Miksa Roth would typically sketch out a piece and then work at it from there. It was a design that he would have to get down on paper and scale it to size to fit whatever space he was working with. The gorgeous and bold colors that shown through his pieces were thought to look magically and extremely pleasing to look at. It’s no wonder he was so coveted for his artistry, since his works are still being vested today by all kinds of people who appreciate his craftsmanship.

Works

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The works of Miksa Roth can be found throughout Budapest and beyond, but the Miksa Roth House in Budapest acts as a museum of the artist’s life. The museum is considered one of Budapest’s best hidden gems because it details the life of one of the most famous mosaicist in the world and visitors are able to see some of the actual works of the artist. They also detail where to find some of Miksa Roth’s’ more grand pieces, which are sprawled across the globe, but are predominately found within Budapest.

The museum details the life of Miksa Roth, going into detail about his family and the fact that his father and grandfather were both also workers with glass and did mosaics. The difference between them and Miksa Roth, however, was the fact that he had new ideas and moved from wall pieces to window treatments, as well. His new age style of thinking helped launch him to achieve the notoriety that he did achieve throughout his life and beyond. The Miksa Roth House is a museum, but is also the actual house that Miksa Roth worked out of and it is coveted for its original, in-tact bedrooms that feature some of Roth’s most famous pieces of artwork. The museum is open to the public and takes visitors on a daily basis.

Legacy

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Miksa Roth’s legacy with live on due to the works he created that were built to last. Even if you can’t visit the Miksa Roth House, there are still plenty of places worldwide that feature his amazing works and you can actually purchase prints of his works online. Although you won’t get the whole experience or the wonder you’d get standing in front of an actual Miksa Roth piece, the designs are still beautiful enough to find on paper prints or even posters.

The work that Miksa Roth provided the world of mosaics remains unsurpassed and will continue to be some of the most beautiful works within the mosaic realm. Although Miksa Roth passed in 1944 in his beloved Budapest, his works will continue to amaze his audiences and lovers of art for generations to come. His works continue to stand within the cities of Budapest, Mexico, the Netherlands and even in Slovakia. This art-deco movement artists created an entire legacy that would help keep his father and grandfather’s history alive, but also created his own namesake and master in artistry. His legacy will live on due to his ingenious ideas and even more ingenious works of art. You can find out where the best places are to visit some of Miksa Roth’s pieces online but there is also a general listing on the Budapest museums website. The trip would be well worth it.